Archive for the ‘Guest Bloggers’ Category
Sunday, April 15th, 2012
by Eden Pecha
Dharun Ravi, 20, a former Rutgers University student accused of spying on and intimidating his gay roommate by use of a webcam was found guilty Friday on all accounts. Ravi was found guilty of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering, hindering apprehension and tampering with physical evidence, and could now face up to 10 years in jail and deportation back to his native country of India. Because prosecutors were able to link Ravi’s actions to that of gay bias, the possible amount of time Ravi could spend in prison doubles from five years to 10. Sentencing has been scheduled for May 21.
Ravi’s roommate, Tyler Clementi, killed himself in September of 2010 at the age of 18 by jumping off the George Washington Bridge into the Hudson River after finding out about the secret webcam documenting his sexual relationship with another man.
After facing two counts of invasion of privacy, Molly Wei, a fellow student at Rutgers University who admitted to joining Ravi in spying on his roommate, reached a plea deal required her to testify against her friend and former high school classmate as well as to complete a three-year program on cyber bullying and do 300 hours of community service.
Ravi turned down a plea deal offered by Middlesex County prosecutors that would have allowed him to avoid jail time in exchange for undergoing counseling, doing 600 hours of community service and disposing of any information that could identify the man who appeared in the Web video with Clementi.
Prosecutors also offered to help him avoid deportation, though they said they could not guarantee it.
Ravi, who had been studying on a visa at the New Jersey university, did not testify on his own behalf.
In Twitter messages from that day, Ravi wrote that he’d gone into a friend’s room, “turned on my webcam” and saw his roommate “making out with a dude.”
Then on September 22, 2010, Clementi took a train to New York and posted a mobile status update on his Facebook page that read, “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.”
Check out our entry about a school shooting in Ohio
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Friday, April 13th, 2012
by Eden Pecha
Charles Manson, the infamous cult leader responsible for the murder of Sharon Tate and six others, was denied parole again on Wednesday for the 12th and possibly last time. Manson, now 77, did not attend the hearing where the parole board ruled he had shown no efforts to rehabilitate himself and will not be eligible for parole for another 15 years.
Also playing heavily into the board’s decision was something Manson had said recently to one of his prison psychologists that John Peck, a member of the panel that met at Corcoran State Prison in Central California, read aloud.
“‘I’m special. I’m not like the average inmate,”‘ Peck said. “‘I have spent my life in prison. I have put five people in the grave. I am a very dangerous man.””
Authorities read a litany of Manson’s prison infractions, including the latest — the manufacture and possession of a weapon made out of a sharpened pen, for which he is serving 15 months in an isolation unit. He has not completed his GED or taken any self-improvement classes in prison. Manson also received notoriety when he was found to be in possession of a contraband cell phone — twice — the latest in January 2011.
Check out our entry about Brittany Norwood, who was sentenced to life without parole for the murder of her co-worker
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Wednesday, April 11th, 2012
by Sarah Rosenstein
After the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011 and the capture of James “Whitney” Bulger in June 2011, two spots opened up on the FBI’s ten most wanted list. On April 10, 2012 Eric Justin Toth replaced Osama bin Laden and became the 495h fugitive to be placed on the list.
The FBI’s most wanted list was started March 14, 1950 due to the wide public interest in a news story published in 1949 about the “toughest guys” the FBI was after. The purpose of the list is to capture dangerous terrorist and fugitives. Since its inception nearly 60 years ago, 465 of the 495 people have either been found or captured. Of these 465, nearly one third was due to recognition by someone in the public.
So how does someone get on the FBI’s most wanted list? It begins with a spot opening on the list. A group of wanted criminal candidates are sent to the FBI Headquarters from all 56 FBI field offices. The criminal candidates are reviewed by the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) and the office of Public Affairs. The chosen criminals are sent the assistant director of the CID and finally to the FBI director for final approval.
The 495th spot was given to Eric Justin Toth, who also uses the alias David Bussone. Toth, a former private school teacher, is charged with possession and production of child pornography. Before an investigation could begin after pornographic images were found on a school camera he had been using, Toth was gone. He has been on the lam since June 2008 and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
In 2008 his car was found at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport in Minnesota. Although it was suspected that Toth committed suicide at a nearby lake based on a suicide note left in his vehicle, a body was never found. Over the past four years, it is believed that Toth traveled across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
Toth was selected because of the threat he posed to the community. Not only is he a child predator but he is an individual who is able to gain the trust of children and adults. Prior to be put on the list, he was on the Washington field office’s list and was also featured on America’s Most Wanted. A tip was received in 2009 after the broadcast about a man living in a homeless shelter in Arizona that looked like, and was later confirmed to be Toth. He has since then disappeared.
A $100,000 reward is being offered by the FBI for anyone who has information that could lead to Toth’s arrest. If captured, Toth faces up to 30 years in prison.
Check out our entry about James Bulger, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list until his recent capture
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Friday, April 6th, 2012
by Grace Park
The killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman has gripped the nation for many reasons. As more information emerges, it seems that the night of Martin’s killing becomes more obscure.
Several 911 calls regarding suspicious and dangerous behavior were made my many of the neighbors in the area. Some called stating that “there were gunshots right outside [the] house. There’s someone screaming… [J]ust heard a guy shot. Hurry up, they are right outside [the] house”. Another call asking for help in the 911 call as she says that someone is “screaming” and “hollering” for help.
Other recounts, who went outside to witness the disturbance described that they heard a “whining…someone in distress, and then the gunshot”. They went further and recalls the whining to stop after the gunshot went off and speculated that the whining may have come from Trayvon Martin.
Witness accounts also say that Zimmerman did not appear hurt.
Detailed witness accounts can be found here and here is another article in regards to the Sanford police conduct in witness accounts.
Although the accounts establish an argument occurring, a cry for help, and a gunshot, not much is clear on how the argument escalated to a gunshot as the night was dark while the events were taking place.
Police reports state that Zimmerman had grassy stains on his back, had a bloody nose, and had injuries to the back of his head. The police department confirmed his claim for self-defense by these findings. But the controversy only deepens when a video shows Zimmerman after the shooting who appeared to be unharmed and un-bloodied. There is much speculation in Zimmerman’s account for self-defense.
Another video released by authorities to clarify the injuries of Zimmerman were released as well.
Zimmerman’s friend, Joe Oliver, spoke of the aftermath and Zimmerman’s extreme remorse. Also, he stated that Zimmerman’s injuries were treated at a hospital including his broken nose. Along with Oliver’s statement of Zimmerman’s injuries, Robert Zimmerman Jr., brother of George Zimmerman, defended his brother in saying that medical reports will make light on Zimmerman’s injuries. Robert Zimmerman Jr. defends his brother in compelling statements here. George Zimmerman’s father, Robert Zimmerman, also speaks out in defense for his son here. Another controversial event taking place as a result of the Martin shooting is Sanford mayor’s, Jeff Triplett, overruling of police and prosecutors opposition to releasing the 911 tapes. Many say that there is no reason to turn over evidence during an investigation, as it may negatively impact the progression of the investigation. Others condoning the mayor’s act say that he had good intentions with a message that “[w]e’re not here to hide anything”.
Read our earlier entry on this case
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Uncategorized, shooting | No Comments »
Friday, March 30th, 2012
by Grace Park
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan survived a shot by John Hinckley Jr. The attempted assassination on President Reagan was recorded and broadcasted live on television.
Hinckley Jr. fired six times in less than 2 seconds. In the array of bullets, President Reagan along with three others were shot with a .22 caliber revolver, Long Rifle, model RG14, employed with the ‘Devastator’ bullet. This particular bullet explodes on contact but luckily the bullet striking President Reagan malfunctioned. In an effort to protect the president, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, D.C. Police officer Tom Delahanty, and Press Secretary James Brady were shot.
When President Reagan was taken to George Washington Hospital, he comically noted “I hope you are all Republicans”.
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was placed in a mental institution. It was noted that Hinckley chose to fire at President Reagan in hopes to capture the attention of actress Jodie Foster.
Check out our entry on a recent hearing Hinckley had
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Friday, March 23rd, 2012
by Sarah Rosenstein
On the morning of September 29, 1982, 12 year old Mary Kellerman of Elk Grove Village, IL went to her parent’s room not feeling well. To ease their daughter’s pain, they gave her a Tylenol extra strength capsule. Shortly thereafter she was found in the bathroom and later pronounced dead. Not long after this, Adam Janus of Arlington Heights, IL was found unconscious and rushed to a hospital where he died just a few hours later. While mourning the loss of their loved one, Janus’s brother, Stanley and sister-in-law, Theresa took a Tylenol capsule from the same bottle Adam had. They too would suffer the same fate as Adam, dying soon after. It was at this point that investigators became suspicious of the three family members death. Toxicology reports would confirm that there was indeed a connection between the four deaths, that being cyanide. McNeil Consumer Products, a daughter company of Johnson & Johnson who manufactured the Tylenol was immediately notified and a nationwide recall of the 31 million Tylenol bottles in circulation in addition to broadcasting warnings of the dangers of the Tylenol poisonings. In addition to the five bottles recovered from the victims’ homes, three more tampered bottles were recovered due to the media frenzy that ensued. Despite these efforts, Mary McFarland (Elmhurst, IL), Paula Prince (Chicago, IL), and Mary Reiner (Winfield, IL), would succumb to the cyanide laced Tylenol, leading to a total of seven victims.
Testing of the recovered Tylenol bottles found that the capsules had been laced with approximately 65mg of the highly toxic compound potassium cyanide, nearly 10,000 times the amount to kill an average person. An investigation carried out by the FBI and local Chicago police department found that the tampered bottles came from different factories. Tampering in the initial production of the Tylenol capsules was ruled out since all of the deaths occurred in the Chicago area.
The original theory behind the crimes was a culprit who took the Tylenol bottles from drug and grocery stores in the Chicago area over a period of weeks, opened the capsules and added potassium cyanide, after which the culprit would return the bottles to the stores to be purchased. Due to the capsule form of the Tylenol, one could not tell the pills had been tampered with. To this date, the crimes remain unsolved.
Recently, Scott Bartz wrote an expose titled The Tylenol Mafia: Marketing, Murder, and Johnson & Johnson which explores a very different story of the murders and why the case was never closed. Bartz, a former Johnson & Johnson employee, had another theory in which the tampered Tylenol capsules were introduced at the manufacturer warehouses rather than being tampered and replaced in stores. He goes on to state that Johnson & Johnson later learned about this information and intentionally hid the evidence.
The expose compiles numerous sources of information, including the interviews of the victim’s families, FBI, local law enforcement, and prime suspects as well as undisclosed documentation that give rise to why the murders were never solved. Some problems that Bartz encounters include lack of evidence to support a culprit tampering with bottles in stores, the closely guarded distribution system by the makers of Tylenol, and the manipulation of facts by investigators. The inconsistencies that occurred with the production & distribution of the Tylenol capsules are believed to be due to the relationships of the company executives and their political motivations. For more information on Bartz’s book, visit this website
UPDATES
In the years following the Tylenol murders, a number of copycat attacks occurred (ie. The 1986 Excedrin Tampering Murders). This led to tamper-resistant packaging and improved quality control of drug manufacturing through packaging reforms and the development of federal anti-tampering laws.
With new advances in forensic technology, the case is being re-investigated. A prime suspect at the time of the crimes was James W. Lewis, but police could not link him to the actual crimes. In January 2009, Lewis’s home was searched for evidence and in 2010, he submitted DNA and fingerprints. The connection between Lewis and the murders is still being investigated.
On May 19, 2011, DNA samples were requested from Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber) by the FBI. At the time of the crimes, Kaczynski’s parents lived in a Chicago suburb where he occasionally stayed. Kaczynski denies any connection to the murders.
Read our earlier entry on the Tylenol Murders
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Murder | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 23rd, 2012
by Grace Park
Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old high school student, was killed by a neighborhood watch captain in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. The neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, has not been charged in this case. There has been national outrage by the lack of investigation, amid allegations of racism. George Zimmerman claimed self-defense during the investigations and so the police officers let him go.
Against the 911 dispatchers suggestions, Zimmerman followed Martin because he suspected that Martin was on drugs. This resulted in Martin and Zimmerman becoming involved in a physical altercation. Zimmerman shot Martin the chest and Martin was pronounced dead at the scene.
The controversy:
A month after the death of Trayvon Martin, no arrests have been made and the Martin family demands that the police release the 911 call from Zimmerman.
Not only are the police investigation procedures being scrutinized but the Stand Your Ground law has come into focus in this case. The Stand Your Ground law expands the self-defense position to outside your home.
There has also been a question on how the police have been conducting the investigation as they tried to ‘correct’ the witness accounts. Sanford Police Chief Billy Lee stated that there is no evidence disputing Zimmerman’s claims of self-defense. Governor Rick Scott announced March 21, 2012 that the Stand Your Ground law is being reviewed for changes to “avoid such tragedies in the future”.
A nationwide petition has been developed for Zimmerman’s arrest. Martin’s family has asked Attorney General Eric Holder and the FBI to get involved in the death of Trayvon Martin. In lieu of the tragedy, the U.S. Justice Department announced its investigation being launched into the case. Also, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has added “muscle” to the case.
On March 19, 2012, a young girl who was on the phone with Martin at the time of the altercation came forward to the family attorney Benjamin Crump.
The investigations by multiple agencies are continuing while petitions for Zimmerman’s arrest are rising quickly. On April 10, 2012, a grand jury is to convene on whether to charge Zimmerman.
Seminole County State Attorney Norman Wolfinger removed himself from the case. Governor Rick Scott appointed Angela Corey, a prosecutor in Jacksonville, to take over the case surrounding the death of Trayvon Martin.
Read our entry about a recent phenomenon known as flash robbery
Posted in Guest Bloggers, shooting | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
by Sarah Rosenstein
For many, the name Lizzie Borden has become synonymous with the gruesome hatchet murders that occurred nearly 120 years ago, as evidenced by the following rhyme:
“Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.”
What many fail to realize is Lizzie was never found guilty of the crime. To this date, the case remains unsolved and new evidence portrays Lizzie as a more caring individual than folklore has led people to believe.
On August 4, 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were found dead in their home in Fall River Massachusetts. Both were killed by multiple hatchet blows to the head. Mrs. Borden was found first by Lizzie in a second floor guest bedroom and Mr. Borden was found later by the Borden’s maid, Brigitte Sullivan, on the first floor living room sofa.
The murders became sensationalized due to the grizzly nature of the crime and the fact that it happened to an upper class Victorian family. Local authorities conducted their investigation and composed a list of suspects. Lizzie Borden ultimately became the prime suspect and was put on trial for the murders. She spent ten months in a Massachusetts prison until she was acquitted of the crime in 1892. Although it is widely speculated that Lizzie Borden was the murderer, there was evidence against other suspects including; Brigitte Sullivan (the Borden’s maid) and John Morse (Andrew Borden’s brother-in-law of a previous marriage).
Recently, new light has been shed on the Borden murders with the discovery of Lizzie Borden’s attorney’s journals. Lizzie Borden’s attorney, Andrew Jennings, incurred most of the evidence after Borden was acquitted of the crime, including the murder weapon which has infamously become known as the “handless hatchet.” This documentation has given more insight into Lizzie’s personal life as well as details of the actual case, including interviews and observations of those involved in the case, including others previously not connected to the murder case. Although the journal does not give any revealing details of who the killer might have been, it does delve into personal details of Lizzie’s life, including the more loving personality of Lizzie and her father. The journal s reveal that the two actually had a deep care for one another who had both been thought of as emotionless and unloving towards one another.
Read our past coverage of this case
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
by Grace Park
On March 16, 1964, Jack Ruby, formally known as Jacob Rubenstein, was found guilty for “murder with malice” of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of late President John F. Kennedy.
Jack Ruby was known for managing strip clubs in the Dallas area. On the day President John Kennedy was assassinated, Ruby was reportedly impersonating a news reporter during a press conference. It was at the press conference where Ruby initially planned on shooting Oswald. Two days after this alleged unsuccessful attempt, Ruby entered the Dallas police headquarters basement and shot Oswald in the abdomen. This shot led to Oswald’s death and the arrest of Ruby.
During the murder trial, Ruby claimed that he was suffering from psychomotor epilepsy. Defense attorney Melvin Belli stated that his condition caused Ruby to black out and subconsciously shoot Oswald. Ruby was found guilty of first-degree murder of Oswald and sentenced to death by electric chair. In 1966, the Texas Court of Appeals reversed the decision. Later in 1967, Ruby died of lung cancer.
Many conspiracy theorists believed that Ruby played a greater role in the assassination of President Kennedy. Ruby denied any involvement of a conspiracy but stated that it was an impulsive act while under the influence of prescription drugs. There were wide reports that Ruby left his dog in the car to support his argument that the shooting was not planned.
In 1964, the Warren Commission, established by President Lyndon Johnson stated that Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby did not conspire together to assassinate President Kennedy.
Read our entry about Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
by Grace Park
On March 9, 1997, well-known rapper Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, was shot to death by a drive-by shooter. Christopher Wallace was leaving VIBE magazine party in Los Angeles when a car pulled up to him and shot him. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai hospital and pronounced dead at 1:15am. Wallace’s murder came weeks before his release of a new album Life After Death.
Wallace’s murder remains unsolved. It was thought to be a part of a continuous feud between rap artists of the East coast and West coast. Six-months prior to the shooting of Wallace, a rapper of the West coast named Tupac Shakur was also shot to death in a drive-by shooting. Witnesses at the VIBE party claimed that the shooter was associating with LAPD officers. This case remained unsolved but there were many who believed that the co-founder of west coast’s Death Row Records was responsible for the death of Christopher Wallace. Furthermore, there were claims that off-duty LAPD officers were employed by Death Row Records and conspired with the shootings.
The unsolved murder of Notorious B.I.G, or Christopher Wallace, has been reopened by LAPD in July 2006 but also came to light in January 2011 as a source came with new information.
If you’d like to read more on the case, here is a good place to start.
Read about the tylenol murders ,another unsolved case
Posted in Guest Bloggers, Murder, shooting | No Comments »
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